


Familiar Carols Play

by xtremeroswellian



Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2003) [5]
Category: Third Watch
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Cowritten with NYPDBosco, who doesn't have an account here.Faith and Bosco begin to heal their damaged friendship on Christmas Eve.
Relationships: Maurice Boscorelli & Faith Yokas
Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2003) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758421
Kudos: 1





	Familiar Carols Play

He sat alone on the sofa in his living room, with the lights turned off. The television was muted as "A Christmas Story" played for the umpteenth time. He'd seen the movie enough times in his life that he would never need the volume turned up again because he could quote it in his sleep.

As a commercial came on he sighed, and looked toward the artificial Christmas tree that was standing crooked in the corner of the room. He had gotten it out of storage a couple days before, but had yet to put the lights on it, or hang the decorations. He just wasn't in the mood.

Bosco pushed himself off the sofa, and headed for the kitchen to get a drink. He came to a stop when he saw the cordless phone resting on the counter. After staring at it for a moment he picked it up, and began to dial.

"Merry Christmas and God bless."

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

"Hello?"

"Uh..." He shook his head slightly, snapping out of his stupor. "Can I talk to Faith," he asked quickly.

There was a pause on the other end. "Who is this?" the voice asked suspiciously.

"Is she there?"

"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number," Fred Yokas said coldly.

"Come on, Fred," he said softly. "Just let me talk to her for a second."

"No way."

"Just for a second."

"What part of 'go away' do you not understand?"

"Fred, come on. It's Christmas."

"Exactly. It's Christmas. A time for -family-. Go find your own and leave mine the hell alone." Without another word, Fred hung up the phone.

Bosco flinched slightly when he heard the loud click on the other end even though he was expecting it. Forgetting all about the drink he had planned on getting he walked back into the living room and looked out the window. Watching as the snow came down, coating the street. With a sad expression on his face he once again looked over at the bare Christmas tree, and the poorly wrapped gifts that lay beneath it.

* * *

Faith rolled her chair slowly down the hall, gazing at where Fred sat on the sofa, an annoyed expression on his face. She studied him for a moment. "Fred?"

"Hmm?" He turned to look at her, plastering a smile on his face.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Oh, wrong number."

She was silent for a few seconds. The guilty look in his eyes told her he was lying to her, but she didn't feel like arguing with him about it. "You and the kids still goin' out to do that last minute shopping?"

He nodded his head. "Have you ever known me to shop early," he asked with a grin.

She smiled faintly. "Not if you can help it."

"Any idea what's taking our children so long to get ready?" He asked the question loud enough so the kids could hear him.

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, they probably wanna look their best in case they run into Santa."

Fred chuckled. "Or that boy Emily's been talkin' about."

Her smile faded partially. "Yeah, when are we gettin' to meet him?"

He shrugged. "I think Em said somethin' about a winter formal coming up in January or somethin'. So we'll probably meet him after we shell out big bucks for her dress."

"Right," she murmured, nodding slightly. She turned her head and gazed out the window.

"So how ya doin'? You get your workout in?"

"Yeah, I did it earlier, actually."

"How'd it go? You tired? Maybe you should take a nap while we're gone."

"Yeah, I might do that," she said vaguely, nodding again.

Fred nodded his head, and stood up. He placed a kiss on Faith's head as he moved past her. "Emily. Charlie. Let's go."

"Bye, Mom," Charlie said as he walked over and kissed her cheek.

Emily wandered into the living room. "How's my hair look? Does this shirt look okay?"

Faith looked up at her daughter. "It looks great, and your shirt's fine," she assured her.

She smiled softly as she leaned down to hug her mother. "You need me to pick anything up for you?"

"No, but thanks, Em," she said softly, hugging her back.

"Okay, well I've got my cell phone if you get any last minute ideas." She moved over to the small hallway, and put on her jacket and scarf.

Fred came back over to Faith's side. Resting a hand on the arm of her wheelchair he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "We'll see you later."

"Have a good time," she said quietly, giving him a faint smile in return. "And be careful. It's been snowin' for awhile."

He held up the keys to the truck. "4-wheel drive."

Faith nodded. "See ya soon."

He followed the kids, grabbing his jacket off it's hook before stepping into the hallway, and closing the door behind him.

She listened to the sound of the door locking. She propped her elbow up on the arm of the chair and rested her chin on her hand, stared after them for a long moment. Then she slowly turned the chair around and wheeled herself over to the telephone, curiosity getting the best of her. She picked up the receiver and hit *69. Then she waited.

Bosco continued to flip through the channels, ignoring the phone as it rang. Finally on the third ring he hopped off the sofa, and went to answer the phone, knowing that it would be at least three more rings before the answering machine kicked in. "Yeah?"

Faith's mouth dropped open in surprise as she heard his voice. -Bosco- had called their apartment?

"Hello? Anybody there?" He asked impatiently.

She pulled the phone away from her ear quickly and hung it up, staring at it in disbelief.

"I didn't wanna talk to you either," he said as he hung up the phone.

She sat in utter silence for a few moments before realizing her heart was beating more quickly than it had been just a little while ago. Why had Bosco called? She instinctively wondered if something had happened, if he was okay. He'd sounded okay in the few short words she'd heard him speak. She stared out the window again for a long time, chewing on her thumbnail, her mind blank. She reached for the phone again, this time dialing a cab company to have a car pick her up. Then she hung the phone up and wheeled herself back to her and Fred's bedroom. She pawed through the third dresser drawer until she located the small box she was looking for it. She clutched it in her hand for a moment before sticking it into her jeans pocket and wheeling herself back out to the living room.

Faith stood up somewhat shakily and grabbed her jacket, slipping it on as she leaned against the door for support. Then she sat back down again, exhaling slowly. She grabbed her keys, unlocked the door and wheeled herself out into the hallway of the apartment building, locking the door behind her once more. Then she rolled herself toward the elevator.

* * *

Seeing as he was in the kitchen again he moved over to the refrigerator, and pulled out a can of Mountain Dew. He popped it open, leaning against the counter as he stared at the phone wondering if he should try calling Faith again or if he should just let it go. Give it another shot tomorrow. Pushing the idea from his mind he opened the freezer, happy to find a frozen pizza. He shook his head at the fact that frozen pizza was what made him happy these days.

* * *

Faith sat uncomfortably in the backseat of the cab, staring out the window at the falling snow. She couldn't help but wonder what the hell she was doing. If Fred found out what she was doing, where she was going, he'd probably never speak to her again. She exhaled softly, closing her eyes for a moment. She pushed the thought away and opened her eyes once more, her stomach tightening in a knot as the driver pulled to a stop in front of the familiar apartment building.

* * *

Impatiently Bosco opened the oven to look in at the pizza. He wasn't really hungry. He was just bored out of his mind, and needed something to do. Something that didn't require any thoughts or feelings. Sighing he closed the oven door, and flipped the switch to turn on the light inside as he stared at the pizza through the small window.

* * *

She used the chair to wheel herself into the lobby of the building, then slowly stood up, drawing in a breath as her legs ached. She ran her hand along the wall as she leaned on it, making her way to the elevator. She stepped inside and punched the button for the third floor, holding on tightly to the rail and closing her eyes. Trying not to think about what she was doing.

* * *

"Come on. Come on," he mumbled, waiting for the cheese to melt. Standing up he grabbed the oven-mitt off the counter. "Screw it. It's close enough." He pulled the oven door open, and took the pizza out. With his hands on his hips he turned around in his small kitchen wondering where he'd put the pizza cutter.

* * *

It was a slow trek down his corridor. A -very- slow trek. By the time she got to his door, she was exhausted and leaning against the wall heavily for support. She laid her forehead against the cool wood of his door, her breathing heavier than normal. She had the urge to sit down and crawl back to the elevator, leave before he knew she was there. But she wouldn't do that. She had made it this far and she wasn't going to turn around and leave now. She closed her eyes for a long moment, swallowing hard before she reached up and knocked softly, the sound barely audible.

Bosco pulled open drawer after drawer in the kitchen looking for the pizza cutter. Unable to find it he pulled out a knife, and slammed the last drawer shut. His eyebrows furrowed, and he paused momentarily when he though he heard another noise. He shrugged, and went about cutting his dinner.

She knocked again, louder this time, then moved aside so if and when he opened the door, she didn't fall since she was leaning against it for support.  
He heard the noise again, louder this time, and tried to figure out who could be knocking on his door. Bosco wiped his hands on his jeans as he headed into the living room. Without looking through the peephole he unlocked the chain and deadbolt, then pulled the door open.

Faith stared at him silently, unable to speak.

His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open when he saw her on his doorstep. -Standing- on his doorstep.

"Merry Christmas," she managed to say, her voice barely a whisper.

He blinked a few times, and nodded his head slightly. "Uh...yeah."

She shifted slightly, uncomfortable by the way he was staring at her so intently.

Bosco broke out of his trance, and flinched as if someone had pinched him. "You...you're..." He motioned his hand up and down, indicating that she was standing.

"Yeah," she said softly, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. "For about a week now. But only for short periods of time, so..." She stopped talking, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"Oh, shit. Right." He stepped out of the way.

"No, it's...it's okay. I shouldn't stay. I just..." Her voice trailed off.

"Faith, you look...tired," he said softly. "Maybe you should sit for a while."

Faith lifted her gaze to his face, uncertainty in her eyes.

"I called the apartment earlier," he whispered as he leaned against the doorjamb.

"I know you did."

"Fred tell you?"

"No. He said it was somebody callin' the wrong number."

He gave her a confused look. "So how'd you know it was me?"

"I dialed star 69."

"But you didn't...That was you?"

"Yeah, I...wasn't expecting it to be you and I didn't...I didn't really know what to say, so...I hung up."

"And you decided to come over instead?" He smirked.

"Yeah, apparently. So what did you want?"

"Well...it's Christmas, so..." He shrugged.

She was silent for a moment. "Yeah. Right. Well, merry Christmas," she repeated softly before turning away and heading back slowly toward the elevator, the knot in her stomach tightening.

"Faith, wait." He stepped out into the hallway.

She paused in her steps, leaning against the wall.

"You wanna come inside?"

"No, I don't wanna bother you. I'm sure you're busy."

"Lately my -busy- consists of watching a pizza bake in the oven," he informed her.

Faith closed her eyes, still leaning against the wall. Her leg muscles were burning from the length of time she'd been out of the wheelchair, a fact which she was grateful for because it meant she had feeling in her legs again, but then again the feeling was pain. She let out a breath, her mind spinning in indecision.

He walked over to her, but stopped a couple feet away. "My apartment's a whole hell of a lot closer than the elevator."

He definitely had a point there. "I'm only gonna stay for a minute," she told him, not looking at him.

"That's fine." He bit his lip for a moment. "Do you uh...do you need any help?"

"No. I'm fine." She turned around slowly, biting down on her tongue as she slowly walked the few steps to his apartment, hesitating in the doorway.

Bosco had entered the apartment ahead of her. "You want something to drink, or some pizza?"

"No. Thanks." She moved inside his apartment slowly, glancing around. She swallowed hard as she walked over and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, closing her eyes.

He was quiet for a moment as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "So...a week, huh?"

"Yeah. The physical therapy's been pretty intense, so..." She shrugged slightly, staring down at his tabletop.

"But it's working, so that's good."

She nodded, resisting the urge to tell him it wasn't working fast enough for her.

"Does it hurt," he asked softly.

"The physical therapy?"

"Well, that and..." He quickly diverted his gaze.

Faith was silent for a moment. "What?"

He remained quiet, but pointed to his chest in the approximate area where she'd been shot.

She gazed at him. "Not as much as it did."

Bosco pressed his lips together, and nodded his head as he tried to keep his emotions in check. He'd been trying not to think about the situation ever since he'd had to stop sitting outside her apartment during his shifts. Even though he'd apologized to her in the hospital he hadn't felt like it'd been enough because he hadn't been there for her.

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "You don't have to stay way over there. I won't bite."

He quickly swiped at his eyes making sure that any tears that may have been there were wiped away. On his way over to the table he grabbed a soda for her out of the fridge.

She looked at him as he set a can of her favorite soda in front of her. "Since when do you drink Sprite?"

"I still don't," he told her softly. "Got it by accident."

"Oh." She tapped her nails on the top of the can lightly before popping it open and taking a sip.

"You sure you don't want any pizza?"

"I'm not really hungry, but...if you are, go ahead and eat."

He shook his head. "I wasn't really hungry when I made it. I was just bored."

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips involuntarily.

"What," he asked with a short chuckle.

"Nothing. Just...well, was watching it cook very entertaining?"

"No. Actually it wasn't. I got bored with that too, and took the pizza out a little early."

"So you were going to feed me half-cooked pizza?" There was a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes.

"It's more than half-cooked," he defended himself lightly. "The cheese just didn't totally melt."

"Oh, so it's pizza with frozen cheese."

"No, it's not frozen cheese, it's..." His voice trailed off, and he smiled.

She smiled back as he caught onto the fact she was teasing him.

After a few moments his expression turned serious. "I really am sorry, Faith."

Faith lowered her gaze to the table, not responding to his words. She hesitated a moment, then slowly pulled the small box from her pocket and slid it over to him.

He stared at the box. "What's this?"

"It's a Christmas present. I didn't have time to wrap it."

"You...you got me a gift?"

She nodded silently.

After taking a deep breath he reached out, and took the small box between his hands. He glanced up at her before opening the lid.

"Open it," she urged softly.

Nodding his head he removed the lid, and set it aside. With his index finger he pushed aside the tissue paper that was inside. He gazed at the pendant for a moment before looking at her again.

Faith drew in a breath. "It's uh...it's an amulet. Back in medieval times, knights used to wear amulets for different reasons. This one...was a symbol of partnership. Friendship." Her voice was soft.

Bosco looked down at the gift once more. "Friendship?"

He'd been the only person she thought of when she'd come across the pendant in the little shop in Jersey. Fred had been in the bathroom, the kids looking around another part of the store and she wasn't sure what had compelled her to buy it, but she knew she had to. She had handed over the money to the clerk and tucked it away safely in her coat and no one had known any different. Now she was uncomfortable with the reasoning behind her compulsion to buy the amulet. It was a stupid idea. "Yeah," she murmured, looking down.

"This is great, Faith." He reached up, and took off the necklace he was wearing. Then carefully switched pendants before putting his necklace on once again. "How's it look?"

She gazed at him, her eyes full of mixed emotions. "It looks good. But you don't have to wear it." Her voice was weary.

"I want to."

She nodded slightly, glanced down at her can of soda. "I should go."

"What?" He shook his head. "Why?"

She was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

"Well...you can't go yet," he told her softly.

She frowned slightly. "Why's that?"

"Cause I haven't given you your gift yet."

"Boz, you didn't have to..." She let her voice trail off, not even realizing how easily his nickname rolled off her tongue.

"I know, but I was shoppin' for Ma, and this just kinda jumped out at me." He pushed his chair away from the table, and headed over to the tree.

Faith watched as he moved into the living room and walked over to the plain, bare tree in the corner of the room.

"I got somethin' for Em and Charlie, too. I hope that's okay."

She was only half-surprised by his words. He'd bought something for her kids every year for Christmas since they'd been partners. "Yeah, it's okay," she said softly.

Bosco grabbed three packages from under the tree, and headed back over to Faith. He set the kids' gifts at the end of the table, and the one for Faith directly in front of her.

Faith gazed at the wrapped box for a moment before sliding her fingers under the tape and starting to pull it off.

"I wrapped it myself if you couldn't tell," he told her with a smile.

She glanced up at him, a small smile on her lips. "Yeah, which is why there's so much tape."

"Well the damn paper wouldn't cooperate. What was I supposed to do?"

She shook her head slightly. "I'm surprised you didn't use glue."

"All I had was super glue...and it kept eating through the paper," he joked.

A small chuckle escaped her lips as she finally managed to get all the paper off the medium-sized white box. She pulled the lid off and stared at what lay inside.

"Is it okay," he asked with uncertainty.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice barely audible. Her eyes were locked on the front of the photograph album, the words spelling out 55-David in gold engraving over the black cover. She slid her fingers over it lightly, tracing the letters with her fingertips.

"I was at Macy's and happened to walk by the portrait studio. They were takin' orders."

The album was leather and quite obviously expensive. "Bosco, I don't even...I don't know what to say."

He smiled softly, and reached across the table, opening the album.

She gazed down at the first picture in the album. It was a picture of the two of them at their graduation from the Academy. She swallowed hard, a flood of memories washing over her as she stared at the photo.

Bosco looked at her for a moment, and then moved around to her side of the table. He knelt down on the floor so he could look at the album as well. "Turn the page," he whispered.

She turned the page obediently. The next picture was one of them hanging out together at Haggerty's after one of their first shifts together. The one after that was a picture of them at one of the precinct's softball games. His arm was draped around her shoulders in the photo and they were both grinning. Page after page was filled with pictures of the two of them that had been taken over the years. "You kept all these?" She was unable to suppress the surprise in her tone.

"Of course I did," he told her softly. "I mean, I know that just about every time you handed me a copy of a picture I acted like I didn't want it, but..." He gave her a small shrug.

She stared down at the images, her eyes blurry with unshed tears.

"Ma made copies of the pictures for me, and I actually ordered two albums. That way my pictures aren't stuffed in shoebox anymore."

Faith nodded silently, coming to the final picture. It was one of them taken at Christmas time the year before. Their shoulders were barely touching, but they both had smiles on their faces. She ran her fingers over the photo lightly, remembering that Charlie had taken the picture. The page after that one was blank, as were the next several pages. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He swallowed hard. "Um...there were more pictures," he told her softly. "But..."

She looked over at him wordlessly, her eyes still shiny with tears.

"I was kinda hopin' there'd be some new photos to add."

His voice was soft, uncertain. It was then that she realized his eyes were watery, too. She reached out without thinking about it and touched his face gently.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

She nodded slightly, one of the tears escaping from her eye as she swallowed hard, holding her arms out.

He quickly wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

Faith closed her eyes, hugging him back tightly.

Bosco could count all the times that he and Faith had hugged in the last 10 years on one hand, but none had meant as much as this one. He exhaled, his body relaxing as the air left his lungs.

She kissed the top of his head lightly before resting her head against his, rubbing his back gently. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I never shoulda asked you," he whispered back.

"Don't," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut a little tighter.

He nodded his head slightly. "Nothin's been the same since..."

"For me either."

"I wanted to try and see you, but I didn't know if I should."

Faith reluctantly pulled away from him, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "I'm sorry I told you to stay away."

Bosco used his shirt sleeve to wipe at his eyes. "If I was in that position. I probably woulda done the same thing."

She was quiet for a moment. "I've been seein' a counselor."

He sat back on his heels. "How's that goin'?"

"Good." She let out a breath. "We've been talkin' about...my tendency to blame things on other people."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded slowly. "What happened...that wasn't your fault."

He bit his lip, and shifted his gaze to the wall.

"You asked me to help you. But I'm the one who chose to do so," she said softly. "That was my decision."

"Well, I still asked. That puts some blame on me."

"You were asking a friend for help."

"Faith, you gotta know that I -never- woulda asked if I thought it would turn out that way. Never."

"I know that, Bosco," she whispered, gazing at him.

He took a deep breath, and ran his hand through his hair. "When I saw you today. When I saw you -standing- outside my door. I don't think I've ever been that happy."

A faint smile touched her lips, but it faded after a brief moment, a serious look replacing it once more.

"What'd I say?"

She shook her head. "Nothing," she said softly. "You didn't say anything wrong."

"Then...what is it?"

Faith locked her gaze on his face. "There's something that I need from you."

He nodded his head immediately. "Name it."

"I need you to forgive yourself."

"I don't know, Faith."

"Well, I do. And that's the one thing that I'm askin' of you."

Bosco closed his eyes. "And how do I do that?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Boz, I don't want you feelin' guilty about what happened. I'm gettin' better every day and before long, I'm gonna be back at work. You don't need to carry this anymore."

"I'll see what I can do," he told her softly as he opened his eyes to look at her.

She nodded slightly. "Thank you."

He managed a small smile. "This is the best day I've had in a long time."

"Me too," she said softly.

"Should I warm up that pizza?"

"Only if you melt the cheese."

"I think I can handle that." He stood up, and moved over to the stove where the pizza pan was. After cutting a few pieces he placed them on a plate, and put them in the microwave. "So...I'm guessing no one knows where you are."

"Good guess." She took a sip of her Sprite.

"How'd you get here?"

"Took a cab."

He nodded his head. "I can give you a ride home later."

"That'd be nice." Her gaze drifted out to his living room. "You haven't decorated your tree."

"Yeah I wasn't really in the mood." He glanced over at the bare tree. "Just didn't feel right this year."

"We should decorate it."

"It's already Christmas Eve. I'll be takin' it down in a few days."

"Yeah, I know, but...it looks so..."

"Depressed?"

"Yeah," she agreed softly.

The microwave dinged, and he removed the plate. He carried it over to the table, and set it down in front of Faith before going to fix a plate for himself. "The whole depressed look was kinda fitting."

She looked down at the pizza for a moment before rising slowly to her feet, resting her hand on the table for extra support. She gazed at him silently.

"What are you doin'," he asked quickly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm gettin' there," she answered, nodding.

"When Fred said you were paralyzed...I thought I was gonna die."

Faith walked over to him slowly, leaning against the counter. "I'm glad you didn't."

He looked down, watching her legs as she put one foot in front of the other.

She reached out and touched his arm wordlessly.

Bosco lifted his gaze to her face. "You're doin' amazing."

She nodded slightly. "It's not goin' as fast as I want it to, but...it's progress."

"Faith, you're walking," he whispered.

"Yeah, well...I wanna run." A faint smile touched her lips.

He chuckled softly. "And you will."

"Damn straight." She smiled a little wider.

"If there's anything I can do to help, like go with you on walks or whatever. You just let me know."

"I will." She slid her arms around his waist in another hug.

"It's so good to see you." He wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace.

Faith rested her head against his. "I wanna thank you."

"Thank me?"

There were so many things to choose from, but she chose to stick with her original thought. "The doctors said...if you hadn't put pressure on the wound those first few minutes, I wouldn't have made it. You saved my life."

"God, Faith, I was so scared," he admitted.

She pulled away just slightly to look at him. "I was too. But...then I looked up and I saw you there."

He managed a small smile. "From now on, I'm always gonna be there."

"And I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Good." He nodded his head, his arms still wrapped around her.

Faith gazed at him intently, then brushed a light kiss against his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Boz."

"Merry Christmas, Faith," he whispered softly.


End file.
